Territory



(No Model.)

G. W. LUCAS.

PADLOGK.

No. 453,263. PatentedJune 2, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

i GEORGE Il'. LUCAS, OF TUCSON, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

PAD LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,263, dated June 2, 1891'. Application filed January 17,1891. Serial No. 378,121. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. LUCAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tuc son, in the countyof Pima and Territory of Arizona, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Quick- Acting Padlocks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to padlocks, and more particularly to that class of padlocks which are specially designed for use in-locking railway-switch stands. i

In the use of padlocks on switches the saving of time inthe operation of the lock and the certainty of the lock being locked are.

elements of prime importance; and it is the object of my invention to provide a padlock which will possess these characteristics in an eminent degree. my invention a quick-acting" padlock, and it might as appropriately be entitled, also, a quickacting indicator padlock. In my padlock the lever which throws the bolt is actedl upon directly by the key to disengage it from a spring dogging device, and this spring doggin g device is'associated with an ejector for assisting in the release of the bow or shackle. The bolt may have a projection adapted to work in `au opening in the side of the lockto indicate the locking movement of the bolt in the case. There may also be provided an audible alarm within the case-such as a bellto be struck when the bolt is in engagement with the shackle, and thus indicate that the shackle is locked.

I will describe first the principle of my invent-ion and the best manner in which I have contemplated applying it, and will then particularly point out and distinctly claim the part, improvement, or vcombination which I claim as my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is an inside elevation,the parts being locked; and Fig. 2 is a similarview, the parts being unlocked. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the flogging device'andejector, and Fig. at is a perspective view of the lever.

The case ct may be of any approved construction, and may be supplied with a usual bow or shackle b, having the slot c for the Accordingly I have entitled passage of the bolt, and also having a loop d for the reception of the chain by which the padlock may be secured yto the article to which it is applied. The lever c is pivoted at f in the lower part of the case, and one arm e of this lever is forked, as seen in Fig. 4, to engage the bolt g. The other arm of this lever is cut away, as at e2, opposite the key-hole, to permit the playof-the key, and this arm of the lever terminates in a hook shape and is provided on its lower side with a shoulder e3. This le- 1 ver e may carry a spring bell-hammer L to act upon a gong 't in cases where an audible alarm is desired. The dogging device for the lever consists of a two-legged spring lt, which is secured to and carried by the ejector Z. Each leg of this two-legged spring l.; is provided with a toe 7c 7o', projecting therefrom substantially .at right angles and having inclined edges. These toes straddle the lower arm of the lever e, and the lower ends of the legs engagethe shoulder c3 when the lock is in the locked posit-ion. Therefore thesaid (logging device 7.: servesV to lock the lever in t-he locked position. The toes 7c It" project into the path of movement of the key in this recess e2, and when the said key is inserted and given a quarter-turn in the direction ofthe said toes it engages the beveled ends of the said toes and presses the said (logging device out of engagement with the shoulder c3 and so releases the lever. New, as the bolt g is provided with a normally-retracting spring the said bolt is free to be disengaged from the bow or shackle. By reason of the fact that the lever is unlocked by a quarter-turn of the key it is possible to operate my lock very rapidly, and for this reason I have termed my device a quick-acting padlock.

The ejector I is a lever pivoted at l in the casing and provided with a spring m, whose force is exerted by the nose of the bow or shackle engaging its upper end to hold the dogging device in engagement with the lever. This samev tension of the ejector-spring will be utilized in flipping the bow or shackle out of the case when the bolt g is disengaged therefrom.

The bolt g has a projection g', which extends through'a slot n in the side of the casing, so as to indicate the position of the bolt, for when the said bolt is fullylocked the said IOO projection will be within the casing. The bolt is also provided with a hook g-, which is adapted to engage the cross-bar of the bow the more securely to hold it` especially in padlocks that are used for locking freight-car doors, and this hook renders it more dithcnlt to pick the lock by reason of its engagement with the cross-bar of the bow or shackle. The ejector-lever is normally pressed against the nose of the bow, and when this pressure is aken ott after locking the bow is pushed up,

so that the hook g2 comes against the crossbar of the bow, and when it is desired to unlock the bow the said bow is pushed down to clear its cross-bar of the hook to permit the bolt to be retracted.

Vhat I claim is-e 1. In a quicleacting padlock, the combination, with the 'bow or shackle and lockingbolt, ofa lever pivoted in the lower part of the case and having an integral arm in engagement with the bolt and another integral arm cut away to receive the key and engaged by a flogging device which projects into the path of movement of the key, which key by a quarter-turn will disengage the dogging device andl permit the retraction of the bolt, substantially as described.

2. In a padlock, a bow or shackle, a locking-bolt, and a lever engaging thc said locking-bolt and provided at one end with a recess to rcccivc thc key, and also provided with a shoulder, in combination with a logging device adapted to engage the shouldered lever and provided with toes which embrace the lever and project into the path of movement of the key and are acted upon by a quartertnrn of the key to release the lever from the (logging device, substantially as described.

In a padlock, a sliding bolt, a lever pivoted in the lower part of the case and having' one arm extended up into engagement with the bolt and another arm extended crosswise of the path of movement of the key and shouldered, combined with an ejector, a spring thereforl normally pressing the said ejector against the nose of the shackle, and a dogging device for the lever, constructed as a twolegged spring attached to said ejector and extending thence downwardly to engage the lever and provided with toes projecting into the path of movement ot the key, substann tially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 2d day of January, A. D. 1891.

GEORGE W. LUCAS. Witnesses:

H. D. UNDERWooD,

B. CoNLnv; 

